To the End of the Line
by Skypeoplephoenix732
Summary: One-shot about Captain America: the Winter Soldier (scene on the ship). "Bucky's back, but it's not Bucky. To have that hope and now... he let his head drop, eyes closing. 'Fire now.'" Rated T for: suicide attempt, minor language (depending on your definition)


A/N Captain America: The Winter Soldier fanfic

I was originally just looking for some cool footage of Bucky for some amnesia recovery story ideas, but when I came across this...  
Steve gave up. He wanted to die on that plane that day.  
I don't know if this is canon, but to me it would make sense for Bucky's arm to be made of vibranium or at least have a vibranium casing

Pain shot like fire up and down his leg. It's okay. Just a bullet wound. You've had those before. But not from your best friend, not from Bucky. Steve pants, every muscle straining and burning as he hoisted himself back onto the central platform. Have to get the chip in. Have to save everyone. Can worry about Bucky late-  
Steve hissed as another bullet tore through his upper arm. Come on, almost there. Steve throws his upward, using the momentum to carry the jump through to the upper middle platform.  
"Thirty seconds, Cap," Agent Hill said over the com, her voice cracking.  
"Damnit, Buck," Steve swore under his breath. If he could just... Almost there, just put the chip in- Steve jolts, crumpling onto his knees. Breath, breath. Why is that suddenly hard? Oh. right. Steve's breath hitches, his heart racing. He puts a hand to his stomach, barely feeling the pain. That's not good. He looks down, deep crimson blood squeezing from the wound. Definitely not good.  
Come on. Last mission. He's gone, isn't he? Not coming back. Not after this. Taking a halting breath as the fiery pain finally hit him full force, Steve used his good arm to push himself just high enough to, to, there!  
"Charlie lock," Steve pants, leaning heavily against the ship's console. Two ships, two deaths. If there is a God, He sure must have a grand sense of irony.  
"Okay, Cap, get outta there," Hill breathed, relief pouring from her voice.  
Steve shifts to lean against a dividing wall. Bucky's back, but it's not Bucky. To have that hope and now... he let his head drop, eyes closing. "Fire now."  
"But Steve-"  
"Do it!" Steve's back arching and hands fisting as pain shot through his core with the force he put into those words. Gritting his teeth, he hoarsely barked out, "Do it now!"  
A small beep and the world around him shook as a cloud of fire swept in. Hauling himself to his feet, Steve leaned on the railing, its metal bars squealing under his weight. Might as well get a view this time. Steve set his jaw, tears threatening to surface. No, he doesn't cry. He doesn't _get_ to cry, not after all the horrors others have gone through.  
Another missile hit the ship, sending vibrations coursing through the now fragile supports. Steve winced, curling inwards as his wounds burned even more. Christ, it didn't hurt this much in the war.  
But everything's changed, hasn't it. Even-  
 _Nra-aagh!_ As the bridge buckles under more debris falling, Steve swings half over the railing from momentum, his breath catching. Bucky.  
A massive support beam was crushing Bucky's midsection. Might not survive this, but he didn't go back before. He owes it to Bucky. One last stitch attempt to help. At least he can say he did something for Bucky. That he _tried_ to save him. Even though it's long past the point of saving.  
Leaping down to the reinforced glass floor, Steve nearly fell to his knees again as his stomach and leg burned even hotter. Come on, focus. _Focus_. Save him, save Bucky. Or at least give him a chance.  
Steve kneels on the floor by Bucky's head. A little out of reach, but still close. Bucky's haunted, hate-filled eyes bore into his soul. He did this. _He_ let this happen. Half groaning, half crying out, Steve strained every fiber of his being, muscles almost burning as much as his wounds as he lifted the beam a few inches. Bucky glared at him with wide, terrified, confused eyes. Wait, confused?  
Steve let the beam drop, leaning against it in a half crouch as he turned to look at Bucky. One last time. He had to try.  
"You know me," Steve panted, eyes pleading. He started to get up, heavily favoring his right side. Bucky stood up with him, muscles tensing. Here it comes.  
"No I DON'T!" Bucky threw his weight into a punch to Steve's shield, vibranium arm sending shockwaves through Steve's arm and spinning him in a half circle. Falling to his hands and knees, Steve pants, fire shooting up from inside his torso. Risking a glance back at Bucky, he sees the man half bent over as well. Getting up, Steve sucks in deep breaths, each stoking the fire threatening to eat him alive. If Bucky doesn't get to it first.  
"Bucky," Steve sucks in another wheezing breath. "you've known me your whole life." Steve steps a little closer, something flashing in Bucky's eyes. Could it be-  
" _Nroo_!" Bucky sends Steve spinning to the ground again. But this time with his right hand? The tiniest of something inside Steve starts to possibly spark. Is that hope? It's... nice. Steve shakes his head, the world spinning - or was it the ship - and the ship exploding around them as he and Bucky fell to the floor again.  
"Your name, is James. Buchanan. Barnes," Steve stood again, half relying on leaning his right foot against the beam that had trapped Bucky.  
"Shut up!" Bucky screams, throwing another left hook at his shield. Ha. Shield. S.H.I.E.L.D. Shock. Steve falls on his face this time, not even bothering to catch himself. He whimpers as his wounds stoke again, the screaming pain overriding the heat of the real flames. No, gotta focus. Got to make him remember. Or die trying. It's better to die than live in a world without Bucky. He can't do that again.  
Steve and Bucky stagger into a half standing, half wobbling stance. He shakes his head to make the three Bucky's into one. He gets it down to two. "I'm not gonna fight you." Steve drops his shield, almost grateful there is a hole right there so neither of them could use it against the other.  
"You're my friend." Steve stares at Bucky, that tiny spark fluttering into empty despair. Something flickers in Bucky's eyes again, it almost looks like confusion. But no, here he comes again. Steve doesn't even brace as Bucky rams into him, stealing his breath for a moment, and slams him to the floor again.  
"You're my mission," Bucky growls, drawing back his left, metal fist to punch. This is it. At least he can go out beside Bucky. Underneath him, at _his_ hand, but still with his best friend. Instinct takes over as Steve tries to breathe with bucky straddling his stomach wound. White flashes before his eyes. Just give in, just give in. Punch, stars. Punch, full white.  
Punch, "You're," punch, "my," punch, "mission!" punch. Steve can barely see him now, his right eye too swollen to see more than a little light filtering through, and his left... Bucky's been hitting him in the face. Steve closes his eyes, maybe this blow will be his last. He doesn't deserve that quick of a death but-  
The blows have paused. Steve cracks his left eye open and Bucky has his arm all the way back, poised to deal a final blow. At last.  
"Then finish it," Steve says, closing his eyes again. Still, nothing comes. Damnit Buck, just... just do it already. _Please_. Steve opens his eyes as much as he can, looking his friend in those wild, terrified brown eyes. "Cause I'm with you t- the end of the line." Darkness creeps in at the edges of his vision.  
Bucky's eyes change. Steve can barely see, but his friend's expression softens into a mix of confusion, hurt, confusion, and horror. What... the now dark blob's shape grows less wide.  
 _Bhm_. A massive jolt and darkness overtakes his vision. Maybe now, maybe now he can find peace. He smiles a little inside. He can finally be with his friends again. Maybe Bucky will even come home today.


End file.
